Spring-suspension lever



e. F. VOIGHT.

SPRING SUSPENSION LEVER.

APPLICATION FILED NON-4,1918- 1,378,155. 7 fi fi May 17,1921. I

2 swans-sum 1.

INVENTOR,

G. F.. VOIGHT.

SPRING SUSPENSION LEVER APPLICATION FILED N0V.4,19IB.

II II a INVENTOR,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE 'F. VO IGHT, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WALTER s. BURGESS, or OAK PARK, ILLINors.

SPRING-SUSPENSION Lnvnn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented as 1.7, 1on1.

Application filed November 4, 1913. Serial No. 281,099.

T 0 (AH whom itmag concern:

Be it known'that I, Gnonen F. Vorerrr,

citizen of the United States, residing at San F rancisco,'in the county of San Francise and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spring-Suspension Levers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invent-ion relates to spring suspension levers adapted to be interposed between one end of the vehicles principal leaf spring and its axle, to assist the principal leaf spring in cushioning the vehicle against the unevenness of the road. I

An object of my invention is to provide device of the character herein described and illustrated in the drawings, that is simple and can easily made either by forging, casting or by stan'ipings from sheet metal, and one that will give a maximum of strength with a minimum of weight.

With the foregoin and other objects and purposes in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings,

-Figure l is a front-end elevation of a portion of'theleft-hand side of a vehicle with my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a slight modification of the device as illustrated iii-Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section, of the shackles for coupling one end of the vehicles principal leaf spring to the levers, approximately on line a-a, Fig. 2.

Fig. e is a top view of the invention with thefree end of one of the levers shown in section, also showing aportion of vehicles principal leai spring and a fragment or" the levers outer support.

Fig. 5' is a view approximately on line bb, Fig. 2. I

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on line 0-0, Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is aview in perspective of one of the levers.

While Ihave shown my invention only as applied to the front-end left-hand side of a vehicle, is to e understood that it is applicable to th t-hand side as well as to the left-hand sde and to the rear-end as well as to the iron -end of any vehicle.

Nors -Tl rough-out the specification ant. claims, the terms outer and shall indicate respect from and-in a direction median vertical plane exten nally through the vehicle, a inner and in ly l sha l spectively-nearest toand-in toward-said plane.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts tl"' 'ougliout the several figures.

R i ll now to the drawingses a vehicl. axle to the upper side of which is rigidly secured a bracket 2 prov ded its upper end with a horizont l open through which rotatahly extends a pivot pin l.

5 is the vehicle rron th c longitudithe terms indicate rea. direction 1, spring 5 heing disposed in a common vertical plane The said outer or free end of the spring 5 is provided with a transversely extending opening 6.

7 designates a shackle comprising a body portion 8 provided with a horizontal opening 9 for journaling a pivot pin 10, pair of spaced apart downwardly extending arms 11 provided at their free ends with openings 12 in axial nlin ment with each other, and an upwardly extending portion or section 13 provided with laterally extending bosse ll.

Between the arms 11 is disposed the outer end of the spring 5 with the openings 12 registering with the opening 6. Through said openings extends a pivot pin 15. The shackle 7 is so connected to the outer end of the spring 5 as to be relatively movable thereto.

l6 designates a pairof levers disposed on opposite sides of the spring 5, shackles 7 and the bracket 2, and provided with transversely extending openings 17, 18, 19 and 20. The inner-ends oi the levers projecting below the axis of the spring 5.

Through the openings 19 extends the outer ends of the pivot pin 4, whereby said levers may oscillateupon the bracket 3. While met awav through the openings 18 extends the outer ends of the pivot pin 10 for pivotally supporting the shackle 7. The bosses 1 of the shackle 7 are adapted to engage the upper side of the levers 16 when the shackle 7 is oscillated upon the pivot pin 10 by the arms swinging inwardly or in a direction away from the bracket 2.

The provision of the bosses 1a with their function is more in the nature of a precautionary measure than otherwise, as in the normal oscillation of the shackle the arms may never swing inwardly far enough to cause the bosses to engage the levers. However in the extreme rebound of the spring 5 the arms might be caused to swing inwardly and upwardly to an undue extent and it is to prevent this that the bosses 14 are provided.

Into the openings 17 are hooked the lower ends of a pair of coiled springs 21 having their upper ends anchored to a portion of the vehicles frame. In the modification shown in Fig. 2, I have eliminated the springs 21 and connected the ends of the levers 16 to the spring 5 at a distance inwardly from its end, by means of a yoke 21 which straddles the spring 5 from the upper side thereof and has its free ends flexibly coupled to the inner ends of the levers by hooks which engage the openings 17. Nith the methods just described it will be seen that the inner ends of the levers may be either resiliently or rigidly supported by a portion of vehicle generally vertically movable relatively to its axle.

Adjacent the outer ends of the levers, and integral therewith, are upwardly projecting ears 22 through which extend the said openings 20 which support a radius pin 23 adapted to keep said ears spaced apart at a definite distance from each other and thereby preventing any rolling of the levers upon their longitudinal axis which would otherwise bepossible if the pivot pins 4: and 10 became loose or worn in their bearings or loose in their connections with the levers.

I claim:

1. The combination with a vehicle having a leaf spring supporting the body thereof, of a pair of spaced apart levers to embrace said spring and pivotally supported at their outer ends, means supporting their inner ends upon the spring, a shackle pivotally attached to the levers intermediate their ends and having upper and lower portions projecting re spectively above and below the same, a'pivotal connection between the outer end of said spring and said lower portion, said upper portion having means for engaging the levers to limit the movement of the shackle.

2. The combination with a vehicle having a leaf spring supporting the body thereof, of a pair of rigid laterally spaced apart levers, means supporting the inner ends of said levers upon the spring, of a shackle disposed between said levers intermediate their ends, a portion of the shackle projecting above the levers, a portion of said shackle projecting below the levers, a pivotal connection between said shackle intermediate its upper and lower end and said levers, and means carried by said upper portion of the shackle for engaging the levers for limiting the movement of said lower portion of the shackle relatively to the levers.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a bracket rigidly supported by the vehicle axle, of a pair of laterally spaced apart levers disposed one on each side of said bracket and pivoted thereto, and a radius pin extending from one of said levers to the other lever adjacent their outer pivoted ends, adapted for rigidly holding said ends a definite distance apart.

4:. In combination, a pair of laterally spaced apart levers, means for pivotally supporting their outer ends, and a radius pin extending from one of said levers adjacent its outer pivoted end to the other thereof adjacent its outer end, the ends of said radius pin being rigidly secured to the levers, the radius pin being adapted for rigidly holding said outer ends of the levers a definite distance apart.

5. In combination, a pair of laterally spaced apart levers, means for pivotally supporting their outer ends to the axle of the vehicle, means for relatively movably supporting their inner ends, upon the vehicle body, a radius pin extending from one of the levers to the other adjacent their pivoted outer ends, a rigid connection between the ends of said radius pin and the levers, a shackle disposed between the levers intermediate their ends, a pivotal connection between the shackle intermediate its ends and the levers, portions of said shackle extending above and below the levers, and means car-' ried by said portion extending above the levers adapted to engage the levers for limit- 7 ing the oscillation of said lower portion.

In evidence of the foregoing being my own, I have hereunto signed my name this 26th day of October, 1918.

GEORGE F. VOIGHT. 

